


Couple of the Year

by Destiyell



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Best Friends, Destiel - Freeform, Fluff, HS!AU, M/M, Pining, Secret Crush, destiel au, teen!destiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2015-11-06
Packaged: 2018-04-30 09:03:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5158001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destiyell/pseuds/Destiyell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak are seniors in high school. It's an exciting and busy time in their lives-with college applications, graduation coming up, and voting for class superlatives, they barely have time to think. They're both handling senior year fairly well, though. That is, until Dean accidentally says the one thing he's sure is going to change his life forever. (And possibly Castiel's).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Couple of the Year

Dean Winchester walks into Lawrence High School one morning, and almost immediately Castiel Novak is at his side. Dean doesn’t jump, the way he had the first few times Castiel snuck up on him like that. He’s gotten used to his best friend’s weird sort of constant presence.

“Hello, Dean.” Castiel greets, and Dean turns to smile at him.

“Mornin’, Cas.”

  
“Are you excited for today?” Castiel definitely sounds curious for Dean’s answer, and it makes him raise an eyebrow.

  
“Excited for what?”

Castiel sighs quietly, and Dean can’t help chuckling. “Today is the day we begin voting for senior class Superlatives. I assumed you would be happy, since you’ll be nominated for a number of different things.” He explains, glancing over at Dean as they head down the hallway.

  
Realization dawns on Dean, but he can’t say he’s as excited as Castiel seems to believe he is. “I guess so,” He shrugs, pausing when they get to his locker. Castiel somehow manages to already have his things with him every morning, so this is the only stop they need to make. “I don’t think I’m gonna be nominated for _that much_ , Cas.”

  
“Seriously, Dean? You’re class President.” Castiel argues, as if that title makes a difference.

  
Dean just laughs again. “And you’re Vice President, remember? Maybe you’ll be nominated for a shit ton of stuff, too.”

  
Castiel shrugs, and Dean reaches a hand out to deliberately mess up his hair. It makes Castiel glare at him, but it’s less than threatening.

  
“I’m serious, Cas. You’re Vice President, a member of Drama Club, and the Debate Team, and LGBT, and you run Track…”

  
“Okay, I get it.” Castiel says, rolling his eyes. “Maybe we’ll both be nominated for something.”

  
“Maybe.” Dean agrees, winking at Castiel as they walk into homeroom. They take their usual seats right next to each other, and Mr. Cain is speaking before they can try to finish their conversation.

  
Homeroom goes by far too slowly, as Dean feels it always does. Mr. Cain hands out the forms for the Senior Class Superlatives, and every student is amicably talking to each other about it within seconds. Dean glances at the list, just skimming over the many categories. It ranges from things like ‘best dressed’ to ‘most likely to make a difference in the world.’ Dean smiles a little, already imaging Castiel would be a good nominee for that one. The bell finally rings, and Dean and Castiel go their separate ways to class. Dean has English first period, while Castiel is heading off to AP Psychology.

  
English class usually drags by, but Dean never seems to mind. He enjoys English almost as much as he enjoys learning about how to fix cars-they’re very different things, but equally important to him.

  
Right when he walks into Ms. Milton’s room, Dean is surprised to see everyone in his class sitting around and talking excitedly. He shoots them all a confused look, and then takes a seat in the front row.

  
“Hey, Winchester,” Someone calls, and Dean turns to see its Benny Lafitte-his other best friend. “Did you look at the list yet?”

“Is _that_ what everyone’s so happy about?”

  
Benny laughs, sitting on the desk next to Dean, rather than in a seat. Ms. Milton glances over at him, but doesn’t comment. “Yeah. Some of the stuff is ridiculous, man. ‘Most likely to brighten your day.’” He reads, making a face. “We’re in school! No one’s gonna brighten my day.”

  
Dean rolls his eyes. “Well, someone’s gotta be nominated for every category. Have you read them all?”

  
Ms. Milton chooses this moment to interrupt. “Mr. Winchester, you’ve just given me a fantastic idea.”

  
Dean turns to face his teacher, looking at her warily. “I did?”

  
She nods, and some of the other students laugh. “Yes. Since everyone seems too preoccupied with the list to actually pay attention in class, why don’t you just read it aloud to everyone? And then we might be able to get some work done after.”

  
Dean knows it’s not really a suggestion. He nods, standing up and ignoring the snickers coming from his classmates. Deciding to take it like a man, he clears his throat and stands at Ms. Milton’s podium in the front of the room. Benny snorts, but everyone turns around to face the front, much to Ms. Milton’s delight. She takes a seat at her own desk, and faces Dean just as all the students are.

  
“Okay, class,” Dean starts, feeling like he’s a teacher. It’s kind of cool, though he’d never admit it. “I’m gonna read you the list of class superlatives. As your President, it’s kind of my job.”

  
Benny shakes his head, and Dean grins at him before continuing. “Anyway, it starts off with the usual. Most Attractive Female.’” He reads, and almost immediately the class is buzzing again. Ms. Milton doesn’t stop them, so Dean sits on the chair beside the podium and waits patiently.

  
“No, no, no. It should definitely be Andrea.” Benny says, glaring at another kid.

  
“Benny, you only say that ‘cause you’re in love with her.”

  
“I am not.”

  
Dean laughs as he listens in on the conversations erupting throughout the classroom. Everyone seems to be trying to come to an agreement on who to vote for.

  
“What about Bela Talbot?” Someone asks, and everyone stops to consider it.

  
“Yeah, I like that idea.” Dean pipes up, and suddenly it’s decided-everyone in the class is going to vote Bela as the most attractive girl.

  
“Okay, the next one, naturally, is the ‘Most Attractive Male’.”

  
“You.” A chorus of girls from the back giggle, pointing to Dean. He knows he must be blushing to the tips of his ears.

  
“Let’s come back to that one.” He decides, moving on to the next category. And so it goes like this. Dean says a category out loud, and everyone discusses who the best fit for it is until they come to an almost-agreement. Dean is happy to be in charge, and Ms. Milton looks pleased with herself.

  
“Alright, guys, be quiet. We’ve still got a few more to go over.” Dean says, pulling everyone’s attention back to him once again. He really likes this power.

  
“Next one is…‘Nicest Eyes-Male.’” He reads confidently. The girls in the room immediately start talking it over, while there’s a chorus of sighs from the boys. For some reason, no one seems to be able to come up with an answer. Dean listens for a moment before speaking up.

“Castiel Novak.” He says, the name rolling off his tongue easily. Everyone goes quiet right away, and turn to stare at Dean as if he’s grown three heads.

  
Dean seems to realize what he’s said, though it’s a bit too late. “I mean, uh, that’s just what girls would think, right? And they’re so blue, and…” He trails off, knowing that no one believes his pathetic lie, anyway.

  
Thankfully, Ms. Milton steps in before anyone can say anything to him. Dean goes back to his seat, hiding his face in his copy of _Macbeth_ for the rest of period.

By the time lunch rolls around, Dean has had to deal with Benny’s stupid comments about his mistake for nearly three hours.

  
“How much do you like his eyes, Dean? I mean, they’re so blue, aren’t they?” He teases, and Dean almost shoves him into a locker. Almost.

  
Benny at least has the decency to shut up about it once they get to the cafeteria. Castiel is already sitting at their usual table, and Dean practically runs over to join him. He can only hope Castiel hasn’t already heard about his fiasco in English.

  
“Hello, Dean. How are you?” He asks, normal enough. Dean lets out a sigh of relief as he sits down.

  
“Fantastic,” He says, glaring at Benny before turning to Castiel.

  
“Are you sure?” Castiel asks, sliding his pudding over to Dean. He never eats it himself.

  
Dean nods, taking the pudding without a word. Benny watches from his side of the table, shaking his head.

  
“Okay.” Castiel says, though he’s eyeing Dean warily.

  
“So, Dean. How was English today?” Benny asks casually. Dean looks up from his pudding and makes a face.

  
“You were there, idiot.”

  
Castiel frowns, realizing there’s something going on that he is oblivious to. It seems to make Dean uncomfortable, though, so he doesn’t question it. Instead, he turns to Dean and says, “Mr. Singer is absent today. That means you won’t have auto shop. Would you like to come to my Art class and be my model for a sketch?”

  
Benny rolls his eyes as Dean readily agrees.

  
“Is it because you like his eyes?” Benny asks Castiel, and Dean punches him in the arm.

 

 

***

  
Castiel is in Biology, trying to study the parts of a cell through his microscope, when someone behind him mentions Dean. He’s used to hearing people talk about Dean quite often-he is considered popular. But the bit of information he hears just then makes him nearly drop his glass slide. His teacher glances up, and he smiles apologetically before readjusting his microscope.

 

“Yeah, I heard he has a thing for Novak.”

  
_A thing?_

  
“That one?” Kid number two asks, and Castiel doesn’t have to turn to know they’re pointing to him.

  
“Uh, yeah. Everyone knows they’re best friends, but…”

  
Castiel loses the end of the conversation as the kids walk to the sink in the back of the room. Their whispering sounds like hushed tones, and Castiel can’t make out what they’re saying.

  
He’s always felt a bit proud to be considered Dean’s best friend. It was never because he wanted to be popular as well; it was just that he couldn’t believe someone as great as Dean Winchester would want to hang out with him. Castiel doesn’t consider himself a nerd, but he’s never been on the same spectrum as Dean. And at first glance, they aren’t really very alike. Still, they’d somehow became best friends back in their first year, and have been basically joined at the hip ever since. Now they’re graduating soon, and Castiel can only hope he’ll stay close to his best friend after school ends.

  
As he puts his microscope away, he can’t help thinking back to his previous class, which had been Art. Dean had stayed true to his word, and came down to the classroom to act as a model for Castiel’s drawing. They mostly talked and joked around, but there were a few moments when Castiel was able to make Dean stay still long enough for him to capture the moment on a page. Castiel admired the way the light caught in Dean’s eyes, or how his freckles stood out on his cheeks whenever he smiled and blushed.

  
Dean had been acting normal the whole time, so Castiel has no reason to believe he’s hiding something. Certainty not something as big as a crush on his best friend.

  
Still, Castiel can’t help dreaming.

 

***

  
It’s not until later, when Dean and Castiel are sitting in the impala, that Castiel decides to bring it up. He’d heard more of the story throughout the school day, and although rumors have a habit of getting mixed up, he’s sure he has an almost clear story of what Dean had said during his English class.

  
Dean is fiddling with the radio in the car, and Castiel is watching with a bit of interest as he tries desperately to find a song he likes.

  
“It’s only a five minute drive to my house, Dean.” Castiel reminds him, but Dean just waves his hand dismissively.

  
“Still need good music.”

  
Castiel smiles, something on his features resembling fondness, and turns his head to look out into the parking lot. Most students are filing out the school, ready to go home. He’s glad that Dean agreed to come over to his house, because otherwise he’d be bored for the remainder of the day.

  
Dean finally finds a station he likes, and immediately starts singing along to some classic rock song that Castiel thinks sounds sort of familiar. He doesn’t even try to sing himself; he just watches Dean and continues smiling softly to himself. He almost wishes he had his sketchbook or something with him; the way the sunlight is hitting Dean looks perfect for a drawing.

  
After a minute or so, Castiel can’t help himself anymore. He reaches over and turns the volume down on the radio just a bit. Dean stops singing, which Castiel would usually find a shame, but today it’s what he needs.

  
“Dude, come on. It was just getting to the good part.” Dean complains, glancing over at Castiel quickly before focusing on the road again.

  
“Sorry.” Castiel apologizes, taking a short breath before continuing. “Dean, do you think I have nice eyes?”

  
Dean nearly loses control of the car. “ _Huh?_ ”

  
“I heard about what you said during your English class today. And now I’m curious.”

  
Dean grips the steering wheel, trying his best to pay attention to the other cars around them. “Well, it’s just um...” Dean struggles a bit, not sure what to say. “They’re just really fucking blue, okay?” He finishes, sounding frustrated. Castiel can’t help the small smile making its way onto his face.

  
“Well, thank you. I like your eyes, too.”

  
Dean turns his head to give Castiel what can only be described as a very confused look. “You-you do?”

  
Castiel nods. “Of course. Why do you think I use you as my model in Art so often?”

  
“Um.” Dean shrugs. He’d never thought about it, really. “I dunno.”

  
“I’d never really liked the color green until I saw your eyes. You’re very attractive, Dean.”

  
Dean shifts in his seat a little. “Right. Thanks. You too, Cas.”

  
They stay pretty quiet after that; the only sound being the low hum of the radio playing between them. They hit a red light just before they make it to Castiel’s street, and Dean looks over at him again. This time he seems mildly less panicked than before.

  
“I didn’t mean to let everyone know how I felt about you. Not like that, anyway.” He says, and it sounds like an apology.

  
Castiel tilts his head to the side-something that Dean’s always found adorable. “How you feel about me?”

  
Dean takes a deep breath, and nods once. Castiel is still confused. “Yeah. I mean, when a guy says something like that about his best friend-”

  
“Do you…like me?” Castiel interrupts, not able to stop himself. The idea is already floating around in his head, driving him kind of crazy.

  
Dean pauses, not really sure how he’s supposed to answer. “Uh, maybe.”

  
Castiel lets out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding in. “I might like you, too.”

  
“Really?”

 

“Yes. This wasn’t exactly the way I planned on telling you, but I suppose neither of us got to do things the way we wanted today.”

  
Dean lets out a breathless laugh, and doesn’t stop laughing until the car behind him is beeping at him to move.

Castiel smiles, feeling as if he’s on top of the world.

 

***

 

  
“Alright, alright! Listen up!” Dean yells, trying to gain everyone’s attention. Nearly every person in the cafeteria turns to look at him. He grins, waits a moment, and then speaks up again. “This is the final voting paper for class superlatives. This is for seniors only.” He says, holding up some papers and shooting a pointed look towards a bunch of sophomores. They turn away immediately.

  
“Now, what you’re gonna do is take a paper from either me, or my right-hand-man, Castiel.” He points to Castiel, who waves shyly from beside him. “Then, you’re gonna look over the final nominees for each category-there should be three or four. Finally, pick one person you want to win for each one, and submit your paper to the ballot box by the door. Capiche?”

  
There’s a bit of murmuring and nodding throughout the crowd, and Dean takes that as a yes. He steps away and lets everyone go back to whatever they’d been doing before. A bunch of seniors swarm him and Castiel almost right away, grabbing papers from them both.

  
“Have you even looked at this list again?” Castiel asks Dean as he stacks some more fliers from a nearby table.

  
Dean shakes his head. “Not since last week. What about you?”

  
“Just a few of them.”

  
“I guess we’ll just have to figure out who the winners are like everyone else, then.” Dean says, and Castiel smiles.

  
The rest of the day goes by uneventful, much like the last week had. Well, Dean wouldn’t exactly call coming out to his whole school and admitting he loves…likes his best friend uneventful, but that’s just his opinion.

  
The entire senior class seems to spend the whole day arguing over who should win the superlatives. Who has the nicest hair? Who’s the class clown? Who dresses the nicest?

  
Dean only votes for a few of the categories, and never for himself. He chooses friends, mostly, and people he feels really deserve it. At the end of the day, he meets up with Castiel just as he usually does.

  
“I voted for you.” Castiel says as way of greeting. Dean raises an eyebrow.

  
“Oh yeah? Maybe I voted for you, too.”

  
Castiel laughs, and they both leave the school feeling pretty happy.

  
Someone else is handling counting the votes, since Dean didn’t want to stay after school and deal with that. He might be class President, but that’s just too much counting for something not being done in math class.

  
***

 

The week of Graduation comes much faster than anyone expected. Dean has been accepted into a few different colleges, where he’ll most likely be studying to be a teacher. Castiel will be going to college as well, though he’s not sure what he wants to study yet. They’re both excited to leave high school, but also extremely nervous for what the future holds.

  
Aside from that, the last week of school is always an exciting one; especially for seniors. Dean happily walks into school one morning, and Castiel is immediately at his side.

“Hello, Dean.”

  
“Mornin’, Cas.”

  
“Are you excited for today?” Castiel asks, looking over at Dean, who nods in reply.

  
“Of course. You must be, too, Mr. Valedictorian.”

  
Castiel sighs dramatically. “Today is only a practice of my speech. I was referring to being excited to get our yearbooks.”

  
Dean chuckles, and nods again. “Yeah, I know. It’s gonna be pretty cool. Just make sure you save a place for me to sign.”

 

“Of course.”

  
They walk to homeroom together, and are so wrapped up in their conversation with each other that they don’t notice the way other kids look at them when they enter the room.

  
“Mr. Novak. Mr. Winchester.” Mr. Cain greets them. “Nice of you to join us. Here are your yearbooks.” He says, handing them each a book. “Oh, and congratulations, I suppose.”

  
Dean and Castiel, equally confused, take their books and go to sit down. They push their desks together and start flipping through the pages of Dean’s book. Castiel leans over so he can see everything, even though he has his own book right in front of him. Dean doesn’t comment on it.

  
“Look at this picture. It’s ridiculous.” Dean says, pointing to a photo of the two of them from their freshman year. It had only been taken because they were both running for class president at the time. (Neither of them got it that year; Charlie Bradbury won.)

  
Castiel laughs a bit. “I’ve always liked that one. At least it isn’t as bad as my Senior Picture.”

  
“Really, Cas? I thought you looked hot.”

  
And so they spend the next ten minutes going through every embarrassing picture in the book. Some are of them, and a lot are photos of their classmates. They read everyone’s favorite memory, stopping to talk about some of them. They flip through quotes, baby pictures, and even the teachers’ pages.

  
Finally, they get to the superlatives. Dean has a weird feeling about it; maybe because of that one English class months back that had ultimately changed his life.

  
Castiel doesn’t seem too worried, though, and flips right to the page without hesitation. Slowly, Dean begins reading down the list.

  
“Most Unique: Charlie Bradbury.”

  
“Most Attractive Male: Dean Winchester.” Castiel picks up, grinning over at Dean. Dean just groans before continuing.

  
“Most Attractive Female: Bela Talbot.”

  
“Class Flirt: Lisa Braedon.”

  
“Best Eyes- Male: Castiel Novak.” Dean grins, nudging Castiel with his shoulder. Castiel rolls his eyes.

  
“Most Athletic: Benjamin Lafitte.”

  
They skim over the rest of the list, switching back and forth to read them aloud. They both pause for a moment when they get the last one, and as if on cue, read it together.

  
“Best Couple: Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :) I actually based this off of something similar that happened in my school this week. I thought it was really funny, and could totally picture it happening to Dean and Cas, so here we are. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, feel free to give it a Kudos or even leave a comment.


End file.
